Re-charging pack for an e-cigarette

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide a pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette. The pack includes a pack battery; a body portion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette; a re-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the pack battery, wherein the e-cigarette can be re-charged in the tube without disassembly of the e-cigarette; and a dual activation mechanism comprising two separate triggers for causing the re-charging mechanism to begin re-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the pack battery. The re-charging begins only in response to the direct activation by a user of both of the separate triggers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/263,362,filed Jan. 31, 2019, which is a continuation of application Ser. No.15/328,099 filed Jan. 23, 2017, which in turn claims priority fromNational Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/GB2015/052129, filedJul. 23, 2015, which claims priority from GB Patent Application No.1413124.7, filed Jul. 24, 2014, each of which is hereby fullyincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to a re-charging pack for ane-cigarette, such as an electronic vapor provision system or anelectronic nicotine delivery system.

BACKGROUND

Electronic vapor provision systems, electronic nicotine deliverysystems, etc., which are collectively referred to herein ase-cigarettes, generally contain a reservoir of liquid which is to bevaporized. When a user sucks or draws on the device, this activates aheater to vaporize a small amount of liquid, which is then inhaled bythe user. Most e-cigarettes include a re-chargeable battery forsupplying electrical power to the heater and other electrical/electroniccomponents, such as a sensor to detect inhalation. Some e-cigaretteshave a cartridge section. After the nicotine or other liquid in thiscartridge has been exhausted, the empty cartridge can be removed orseparated from the e-cigarette and replaced with a new cartridgecontaining further nicotine.

E-cigarettes are often supplied in packs for protection and easyportability. Such packs may accommodate multiple e-cigarettes and/orreplacement cartridges, thereby offering a backup facility if onee-cigarette (or its cartridge) is exhausted. An e-cigarette pack mayalso have the ability to re-charge an e-cigarette, again helping toensure good operating availability of the e-cigarette for a user.Typically a pack is provided with a cylindrical hole for receiving ane-cigarette for recharging, the hole generally reflecting the elongated,cylindrical shape of an e-cigarette. When the e-cigarette is located inthe hole, the battery can be re-charged by a suitable wired or wirelessconnection (a wireless connection may rely upon induction charging). Insome packs, the cylindrical hole may receive the entire e-cigarette forre-charging, while in other packs only a portion of the e-cigarette maybe received into the hole.

In some devices, the pack must be connected to a power supply, e.g. amains outlet or USB connection, during re-charging of the e-cigarettebattery. In this case, the pack is typically acting as a convenientdevice for holding and interfacing to the e-cigarette duringre-charging. In other devices, the pack itself is provided with abattery (or other charge storage facility). The pack battery allows thee-cigarette to be re-charged from the pack without the need for the packto be connected to an external power supply during the re-charging,thereby providing greater convenience for a user.

The pack battery will of course be depleted in due course, and so isgenerally provided with its own re-charging facility—typically againreliant upon some form of mains or USB connection. However, since thepack is larger than an e-cigarette, it can accommodate a larger batteryand therefore the pack does not have to be re-charged as frequently asan e-cigarette. For example, the charge capacity of a typicale-cigarette battery may be approximately 60 mAh, whereas the chargecapacity of a typical pack battery might be in the region of 800 mAh.Accordingly, the pack battery is capable of re-charging the e-cigarettea few times at least before the pack battery itself needs to bere-charged.

Such a multiple or hierarchical arrangement of separately chargeablesystems, namely firstly an e-cigarette and secondly a pack for thee-cigarette, is relatively rare. In contrast, most re-chargeabledevices, e.g. mobile (cell) phones, are usually connected directly to amains-powered charging supply (or else to an in-car charging supply). Itis desirable for the (re)charging of an e-cigarette and associated packto be as reliable and convenient for a user as possible.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments provide a pack for holding and re-charging ane-cigarette. The pack comprises a pack battery; a body portion includinga tube for receiving an e-cigarette; a re-charging mechanism forre-charging the e-cigarette received into said tube using the packbattery, wherein the e-cigarette can be re-charged in the tube withoutdisassembly of the e-cigarette; and a dual activation mechanismcomprising two separate triggers for causing the re-charging mechanismto begin re-charging the e-cigarette received into said tube using thepack battery. The re-charging begins only in response to the directactivation by a user of both of the separate triggers.

The present approach is not restricted to specific embodiments such asset out herein, but features from different embodiments may be combined,modified, omitted or replaced by the skilled person according to thecircumstances of any given implementation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in detail byway of example only with reference to the following drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic (exploded) diagram of an e-cigarette in accordancewith some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pack 100 for receiving and accommodating ane-cigarette in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates the main internal components of the pack of FIG. 2 inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of the pack of FIG. 2, especially regardingthe operation of the lid, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate in more detail the annular light element andthe insert from the pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodimentsof the disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showingthe annular light element as fitted into the insert;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing the annular light element and insertdisassembled; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-section in a vertical plane through the annular lightelement as fitted into the insert.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electrical/electronic configurationof the pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 9 presents a flowchart showing various operations of the pack inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an e-cigarette 10 in accordance withsome embodiments of the invention (not to scale). The e-cigarette has agenerally cylindrical shape, extending along a longitudinal axisindicated by dashed line LA, and comprises two main components, namely abody 20 and a cartomizer 30. The cartomizer includes an internal chambercontaining a reservoir of nicotine, a vaporizer (such as a heater), anda mouthpiece 35. The reservoir may be a foam matrix or any otherstructure for retaining the nicotine until such time that it is requiredto be delivered to the vaporizer. The cartomizer 30 also includes aheater for vaporizing the nicotine and may further include a wick orsimilar facility to transport a small amount of nicotine from thereservoir to a heating location on or adjacent the heater.

The body 20 includes a re-chargeable cell or battery to provide power tothe e-cigarette 10 and a circuit board for generally controlling thee-cigarette. When the heater receives power from the battery, ascontrolled by the circuit board, the heater vaporizes the nicotine andthis vapor is then inhaled by a user through the mouthpiece 35.

The body 20 and cartomizer 30 are detachable from one another byseparating along the longitudinal axis LA, as shown in FIG. 1, but arejoined together when the device 10 is in use by a connection, indicatedschematically in FIG. 1 as 25A and 25B, to provide mechanical andelectrical connectivity between the body 20 and the cartomizer 30. Theelectrical connector on the body 20 that is used to connect to thecartomizer may also serve as a socket for connecting to a chargingdevice (not shown) when the body 20 is detached from the cartomizer 30.

The e-cigarette 10 is provided with one or more holes (not shown inFIG. 1) for air inlet. These holes connect to an air passage through thee-cigarette 10 to the mouthpiece 35. When a user inhales through themouthpiece 35, air is drawn into this air passage through the one ormore air inlet holes, which are suitably located on the outside of thee-cigarette 10. This airflow (or the resulting change in pressure) isdetected by a pressure sensor that in turn activates the heater tovaporize the nicotine from the cartridge. The airflow passes through,and combines with, the nicotine vapor, and this combination of airflowand nicotine vapor then passes out of the mouthpiece 35 to be inhaled bya user. The cartomizer 30 may be detached from the body 20 and disposedof when the supply of nicotine is exhausted (and replaced with anothercartomizer if so desired).

It will be appreciated that the e-cigarette 10 shown in FIG. 1 ispresented by way of example, and various other implementations can beadopted. For example, in some embodiments, the cartomizer 30 is providedas two separable components, namely a cartridge comprising the nicotinereservoir and mouthpiece (which can be replaced when the nicotine fromthe reservoir is exhausted), and a vaporizer comprising a heater (whichis generally retained). In other embodiments, the e-cigarette 10, thebody 20 and the cartomizer 30 may be joined together permanently, so ineffect they are just a single component. Some such unitary (one-piece)e-cigarettes may allow replenishing of a nicotine reservoir whenexhausted using some suitable (re)supply mechanism; other one-piecee-cigarettes may be disposed of once the nicotine reservoir has beenexhausted. Note that this latter type of device still generally supportsre-charging because the battery will normally become depleted morequickly than the nicotine reservoir. The skilled person will be aware ofmany further possible designs and implementations of an e-cigarette.

FIG. 2 illustrates a pack 100 for receiving and accommodating ane-cigarette in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. Thepack comprises a body 120 which is provided with a hinged lid 140 thatcan open and close. The body 120 comprises an outer case or housing 125which is fitted with an insert 130. More particularly, the outer case125 has an opening at the top, i.e. the end at which the lid 140 islocated, and the insert 130 is fitted into, and generally closes, thisopening. The insert 130 itself is provided with two openings or holesthat extend down into the body 120 of the pack 100. The first opening132 comprises a substantially circular hole (in terms of cross-sectionalshape). The first opening 132 is surrounded by an annular light element133, as described in more detail below. The second opening 131 in theinsert 130 comprises a pair of linked holes (only one of which is easilyvisible in FIG. 2). The openings 132 and 131 (and more particularly,each of the pair of holes formed by opening 131) can be used to receivean appropriately shaped object, such as an e-cigarette, a spare or usedcartridge, etc. The dimensions of pack 100 are generally arranged sothat an e-cigarette accommodated within openings 132 or 131 protrudesslightly out of this opening. This allows a user to readily discern thecontents of pack 100 (as also helped by making lid 140 transparent), andalso facilitates removal by a user of an e-cigarette located within oneof these openings.

The pack 100 is further provided with a set of LED lights, which aremounted on a PCB 160 (as described below in relation to FIG. 3). TheseLED lights are protected by light cover 128, which is shown separatedfrom the casing 125 in FIG. 2 in an exploded view, but which in theassembled pack is integrated into the body 120 so as to lie flush withthe outer casing 125. These LED lights can be used to indicate thecharging state of the pack 100, for example, whether it is fullycharged, partly charged, or fully discharged. The LEDs lights may alsobe used to indicate whether or not the pack 100 is currently charging(being charged). Such charging may be accomplished via a (mini ormicro)USB link using a (mini or micro)USB connector located on theunderside of the pack 100 (not visible in FIG. 2).

FIG. 3 illustrates the main components that are housed within the body120 of the pack 100, more particularly, within housing 125, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure (some minorcomponents, such as internal wiring, are omitted for reasons ofclarity). The body includes a battery unit 150 comprising a battery 151,a printed circuit board (PCB) 154, and a switch 152. For clarity, thebattery unit 150 is shown separated from the insert 130, however, inpractice the two are assembled together. The body 120 can be seen toinclude a hinge or axle 134, which provides a pivot about which the lid140 is able to open and shut. The battery unit 150, including the switch152, is located substantially below the hinge 134.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the insert 130 extends substantially to thebottom of the outer casing 125. The insert 130 defines a substantiallycylindrical tube 132A extending down from opening 132, which is able toreceive and hold an e-cigarette. The insert 130 further includes twofurther substantially cylindrical tubes 131A, 131B, which overlap oneanother, extending down from opening 131 with a “figure-of-8”cross-section. Note that the bottom of tubes 132A, 131A and 131B may beclosed by the insert 130 itself, or may be open, but abutting againstthe bottom of the outer casing 125, which would then have the effect ofagain closing the bottom of the tubes 132A, 131A and 131B in order toretain an e-cigarette (or other item, such as a spare cartridge,therein).

Note that the battery 151 is relatively large—comparable in size, forexample, with the opening 132 and associated tube 132A for receiving ane-cigarette. Consequently the battery 151 of the pack 100 will usuallyhave significantly greater electrical storage capacity than a batteryprovided in an e-cigarette which may be accommodated within the pack.This allows the battery in the e-cigarette to be re-charged, typicallyseveral times, using the battery unit 150 of pack 100, without the needfor any additional, external power supply (such as a mains connection).This can be very convenient for a user, who may be in a location orsituation which does not provide a ready connection to the mains.

In order to support this re-charging of an e-cigarette stored within thepack 100, a portion of the tube 132A is provided with a coil 170 whichis coaxial with the tube 132A and forms in effect a collar or sleevearound the tube 132A. This tube is used to perform induction charging ofan e-cigarette located in the tube 132A. Alternatively, the tube 132Amay be provided with a suitable electrical contact at its base (orelsewhere) to provide a wired power supply for an e-cigarette (orportion thereof) inserted into the tube 132A. For example, in someembodiments, the body portion 20 of e-cigarette 10 such as shown in FIG.1 might be inserted into tube 132A for re-charging via connector 25B. Insuch an embodiment, tube 132A may be reduced in length so that someportion of the body 20 protrudes from the top of tube 132A, therebyfacilitating easier removal of the body 20 from the tube. In this case,the tube 132A may or may not be able to accommodate a fully assemblede-cigarette (but this can be facilitated by providing increased space(depth) in lid 140).

In some embodiments, the e-cigarette 10 may be provided with a pair ofelectrical contacts on the end opposite from mouthpiece 35—i.e. the tipof the e-cigarette 10. For example, one electrical contact may beprovided in the center of the tip, and the other electrical contact maybe provided as a circular ring around the edge or rim of the tip. Thebase of the tube 132A may be provided with an electrical connectorhaving a complementary pair of contacts. Accordingly, when thee-cigarette 10 is received (tip-first) into the tube 132A, the contactson the tip of the e-cigarette 10 form a wired electrical connection withthe complementary contacts at the base of the tube to permit re-chargingof the e-cigarette battery. This configuration has the benefit that thee-cigarette 10 does not need any disassembly for insertion into the pack100 for re-charging—e.g. there is no need to separate body 20 fromcartomizer 30 to expose connector 25B. Consequently, the e-cigarette 10remains available for immediate use (if suitably charged).

It is also convenient if the wired electrical connection can be formedwithout requiring a particular user manipulation—in contrast to (forexample) a screw thread which requires rotational engagement, or someform of bayonet fitting. Rather, the wired electrical connection may beformed by using the force of gravity to pull the connector on the tip ofthe e-cigarette 10 down against connector on the base of tube 132A,thereby providing a very easy insertion (and removal) process for auser. In some embodiments, the connection between the connector on thetip of the e-cigarette 10 and the connector on the base of tube 132A maybe augmented by the lid 140 applying downward pressure from the lid 140onto the e-cigarette 10 when the lid 140 is closed, which can help toprovide a more reliable electrical connection. (This downward pressurefrom the lid may be assisted by the over-centre biasing mechanism of thelid, as described in more detail below.)

Returning to FIG. 3, the insert 130 is provided with two printed circuitboards (PCBs), 135 and 160. The PCB 160 provides the main controlfunctionality of the pack 100, as will be described in more detailbelow, and is attached to tubes 131A, 131B by pegs that extend outwardsfrom the walls of tube 131A, 131B through corresponding holes 162 in thePCB 160, thereby retaining the PCB in the appropriate position relativeto the tubes 131A, 131B. These pegs may be supplemented (or replaced) byany other appropriate fixing mechanism, such as one or more screws, arib structure (for use in conjunction with the screws), and so on.

A mini-USB (or micro-USB) connector 164 is provided at the bottom of thePCB 160, and is accessible through a corresponding aperture in theunderside of the housing 125 of the pack body 120. This USB connector164 can be used to connect an external power supply to the pack 100 forre-charging the battery 151 (and also any e-cigarette located in hole132A).

The USB connector 164 may also be used, if so desired, forcommunications with the electronics of the e-cigarette 10, for exampleto update software on the PCB 160 and/or to download usage data from thePCB 160, etc. The PCB 160 is further provided with the LED indicatorlights discussed above, along with a set of mechanical connectors 161for retaining the light cover 128. In particular, the PCB 160 controlsthe LED indicator lighting to provide an indication to a user about thecurrent charging situation of the pack 100, plus any other suitableinformation.

The other PCB 135 associated with the insert 130 is located on theoutside of re-charging tube 132A, relatively near the top, i.e. closerto the hole or opening 132 for receiving an e-cigarette for re-charging.This PCB 135 incorporates at least one light emitting diode (LED), whichis used to illuminate the annular light element 133, as described inmore detail below. Note that in some embodiments, PCB 135 may besupplemented by one or more additional PCBs, each with one or moreadditional LEDs. This can help to increase the illumination level of theannular light element 133.

It will be appreciated that the configuration and arrangement of thepack 100 and insert 130 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are provided by way ofexample, and the skilled person will be aware of many potentialvariations—e.g. the number, position, size and/or shape of holes 131,132 may vary from one embodiment to another, likewise the associatedtubes 131A, 131B, 132A. Similarly, the details of the positioning, shapeand size of the battery unit 150, PCB 160, and other components willgenerally vary from one embodiment to another, depending upon theparticular circumstances and requirements of any given implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates a detail of the pack 100 in terms of the operation ofthe action of the lid 140 as it rotates open and shut about hinge 134.In particular, FIG. 4 comprises a cross-section view through the pack100 in a vertical plane in accordance with some embodiments of theinvention. The insert 130 is provided with a biasing unit comprising acoil spring 182 and a cap 183, the end of which is emphasized by aprotruding nipple 184. As the lid 140 is rotated open from the closedposition shown in FIG. 4, the lid arm 142 pivots in counter-clockwisefashion about hinge (axle) 134. This rotation causes the arm 142 to pushagainst the cap 183, thereby tending to compress spring 182, whichtherefore opposes this initial stage of the rotation of the lid 140.However, once the corner 144 of the arm 142 which is furthest from thehinge 134 has passed the nipple 184 on the cap, further rotation of thelid 140 in an opening direction allows the spring 182 to expand again.In other words, the spring 182 encourages this later stage of rotation(which continues until the arm 142 reaches a mechanical stop, providedby the top rim or ledge 126 of the outer casing 125). This two-stageeffect of the spring 182 provides an over-center biasing mechanism withrespect to the opening of the lid 140, in effect driving the lid 140 toone of two favored positions—either fully open or fully shut.

The rotational movement of the lid arm 142 between the open and shutpositions also results in a mechanical engagement between the lid arm142 and the switch 152 attached to the PCB. In particular, opening andclosing of the lid 140 activate the switch 152 in opposite directions,thereby allowing the control system of the pack 100 to use the state ofswitch 152 to determine whether the lid 140 of the pack 100 is open orshut.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate in more detail the annular light element 133and its relationship to the insert 130 in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5 is a perspectiveview showing the annular light element 133 as fitted into the insert 130(and also outer case 125); FIG. 6 is an exploded view showing theannular light element 133 and insert 130 disassembled; and FIG. 7 is across-section in a vertical plane through the annular light element 133as fitted into the insert 130.

The annular light element 133 is in the shape of a tube or sleeve. Theinner surface of this tube comprises a cylinder of circularcross-section and is sized to receive an e-cigarette for storage and/orre-charging. The outer surface of the tube is likewise generally acylinder of circular cross-section, but has two additional features. Thefirst is a lip or rim 137 directed radially outwards at the top of theannular light element (assuming the normal orientation of pack 100,whereby the lid 140 is at the top, and an e-cigarette 10 would beinserted downwards through opening 132). This lip rests on acorresponding ledge formed at the top of tube 132A, adjacent opening132, and the lip and ledge cooperate to maintain the annular lightelement at the correct position within the tube 132A—i.e. so that theannular light element does not disappear further down into the tube132A. The lip also helps to provide a greater light emitting area, asdescribed in more detail below.

The second additional feature is a flattened or planar surface 138,which in a horizontal plane forms a chord with respect to the otherwisecircular outer cross-section of the annular light element. Thisflattened surface 138 helps to prevent rotation of the angular lightelement 133 within tube 132A in an azimuthal direction about the axis oftube 132A (which is coaxial with the axis of the annular light element,and also an inserted e-cigarette).

The flattened surface 138 is positioned facing and immediately adjacentto the PCB 135 which incorporates at least one light emitting diode(LED). As noted above, this LED is used to illuminate the annular lightelement 133. This transfer of light from the LED into the annular lightelement 133 is facilitated by the flattened surface 138 of the annularlight element 133, since it allows a greater surface area of the annularlight element 133 to be positioned close to the LED. The light transferis also facilitated by a slot or aperture 138 which is cut into the wallof the tube 132A (see FIG. 6). In particular, the aperture 138 allowsthe LED provided by the PCB 135 to protrude into and through the wall ofthe tube 132A, and hence to lie immediately adjacent the annular lightelement 133.

The annular light element 133 is formed of a transparent or translucentmaterial which allows light from the LED to spread through the materialof the annular light element. This light is able to exit through the topof the annular light element 133, and hence is visible to a user. Itwill be appreciated that lip 137 helps to expose a greater surface areaof the annular light element 133 for this emission of light, therebyincreasing visibility to a user.

The annular light element 133 provides an indication to the user of thecharging state of an e-cigarette inserted into the tube 132A. Inparticular, the PCB 135 is controlled to illuminate the LED according tovarious predetermined criteria relating to the charging state of thee-cigarette, thereby providing the user with direct visual informationrelating to this charging state.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the electrical/electronic configurationof the pack 100. Note that this diagram is primarily concerned withcontrol operation rather than power supply (so, for example, a directpower supply linkage from pack battery 151 to switch/PCB 152/154 isomitted). FIG. 8 also assumes that the control functionality for thepack 100 resides on the main PCB 160, although some elements of thiscontrol functionality may be distributed or off-loaded as appropriate toPCB 154 or PCB 135.

The primary control inputs to the PCB 160, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure, are as follows:

-   -   a) external power supply available through USB connector 164        (yes/no). (There may also be additional control information        provided by the USB connector, for example, to reset any usage        data maintained within PCB 160, but these are not relevant for        present purposes.)    -   b) level of charge in pack battery 151. The PCB 160 then uses        the LED lights (within light cover 128) to provide the user with        an indication of this charge level.    -   c) pack lid 140 open or shut according to switch 152.    -   d) presence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A (yes/no).        (It will be appreciated that this set of control inputs is        provided by way of example only, and other embodiments may not        have all the above control inputs and/or may have additional        control inputs.) With regard to (d), the presence or absence of        an e-cigarette can only change when the lid 140 is open, as        detected by switch 152 (otherwise an e-cigarette cannot be        inserted into or removed from the tube 132A). There are various        ways in which such a change can be determined. For example,        inserting an e-cigarette will change the effective inductance of        the charging coil 170, by virtue of the mutual inductance        arising from the corresponding induction charging coil in the        e-cigarette, and this change in effective inductance can be        detected by the PCB 160 or other sensor. Alternatively, if the        pack 100 uses a wired connection for re-charging, then the        resistance across and/or current through the wired connection        will change upon contact with an e-cigarette. A further        possibility is to use some other sensing or communication        mechanism, e.g. mechanical, electrical, or optical, to determine        the presence or absence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A. For        example, the PCB 135 may capture light from LED 135 which is        reflected back towards PCB 135, and the amount of such reflected        light will vary according to whether or not an e-cigarette is        present in tube 135. As another example, the bottom of tube 132A        may include a mechanical switch, which is activated when an        e-cigarette sits in the tube. The skilled person will be aware        of further possible mechanisms for detecting the presence of an        e-cigarette in the tube 132A.

The PCB 160 may also be provided with information concerning the levelof charge of the battery within the e-cigarette 10. This information mayjust be a piece of binary information, namely whether or not the batteryis fully charged. Alternatively, the PCB 160 may receive more granularinformation concerning the level of charge of the battery within thee-cigarette 10, such as an approximate percentage of the current chargelevel. As before, there are various ways in which the PCB 160 may beprovided with this information (which may potentially different from howthe PCB 160 determines the presence (or absence) of an e-cigarette intube 132A). For example, as the e-cigarette battery becomes morecharged, this may increase the effective loading on the charging circuit(wired or wireless), in that the charging has to overcome the opposingvoltage of the battery which is being charged (which generally riseswith an increasing level of charge). This increase in the effectiveloading on the charging circuit may be monitored to provide anindication of the charge level of the battery within the e-cigarette.Alternatively, for a wired connection between the pack 100 and thee-cigarette 10, the voltage level of the battery within the e-cigarette10 may be applied to a particular contact, and hence is available fordirect measurement by the pack 100. Another possible approach is for thee-cigarette 10 itself to monitor the voltage (and hence charge) level ofits battery and then to communicate this information to the re-chargingpack 100—for example, over some data or control line for a wiredconnection, or over some wireless communication link (e.g. Bluetooth)for wireless (such as induction) charging. As mentioned above, theannular light element 133 is used to provide an indication to the userof the charging state of an e-cigarette 10 inserted into the tube 132A.The charging state may indicate one or more of the following:

-   -   a) whether or not the pack 100 is currently charging the        e-cigarette battery (through coil 170 in the embodiment of FIG.        3);    -   b) whether or not the e-cigarette battery is fully charged;    -   c) some indication of the level of charge of the e-cigarette 10        (intermediate between empty and full);    -   d) an error state or cut-off, e.g. because of an excess        temperature has been detected in the pack 100 or the e-cigarette        10.

(It will be appreciated that this set of indications is provided by wayof example only, and other embodiments may not provide all the aboveindications and/or may provide additional indications.)

Regarding (d), the pack 100 and/or the e-cigarette 10 may be providedwith one or more suitable temperature sensors to make such a detectionof over-heating, and such sensor(s) may supply a further control inputto the PCB 160 to flag that the pack 100 or e-cigarette 10 is above athreshold temperature. The skilled person will be aware of various othererror states that may arise (and be indicated to a user), for example,the detection of excess charging voltage or current, or a failure todetermine whether or not an e-cigarette 10 is present in tube 132A, etc.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure, the PCB 160controls the PCB 135 and its associated light diode according to thecharging conditions specified in Table 1 below. In particular, the CPU160 detects transitions between the various states, based on the controlinputs mentioned above, in order to detect the current state, and thensets the light operation as appropriate for (i.e. corresponding to) thecurrent state.

TABLE 1 State of light signal according to charging state State Lightoperation No e-cigarette in pack Off Connected to external power Pulsed(flashing) supply (via USB 164)— e-cigarette charging Connected toexternal power On supply (via USB 164)— e-cigarette fully charged Notconnected to external Pulsed for 10 seconds—then power supply—open fadesout lid—e-cigarette charging Not connected to external On for 10seconds—then fades out power supply—open lid—e-cigarette fully chargedNot connected to external Any existing lighting is faded out powersupply—lid closed after a predetermined delay

(Note that Table 1 only relates to functional states of the pack ande-cigarette—it does not include error states such as over-current; thesecan be indicated or flagged by similar modes of flashing lights, lightson and off, etc as for the functional states.)

The annular lighting element 133 (in combination with the PCB and LED135) provides the user with an indication of the charging state of ane-cigarette in tube 132A. If no e-cigarette is present in tube 132A, thelight (as provided by the PCB/LED 135 and annular lighting element) isoff. However, if an e-cigarette is present, and the pack 100 isconnected to an external power supply, such as via USB connector 164,then the light has one of two states: (i) flashing or pulsing(intermittently on), to indicate that the battery in the e-cigarette 10is being charged; and (ii) continuously on to indicate that the batteryin the e-cigarette 10 is fully charged.

If an e-cigarette 10 is present, but the pack 100 is not connected to anexternal power supply, then the behavior is modified in view of thelimited power available within the pack battery 151. If the lid 140 isopen, then the light is again flashed or pulsed to indicate that thebattery in the e-cigarette 10 is partly charged, or is permanently on toindicate that the battery in the e-cigarette 10 is fully charged.However, this illumination of the light (either intermittent orcontinuous) is only for a first predetermined time period, say 10seconds, after which the light fades out. This period is long enough toprovide a clear indication of the charging status to the user, but notlong enough to drain significant power from the pack battery 151. If thelid 140 is closed while the light is illuminated (again eitherintermittently or continuously), the light fades out after apredetermined delay and then over a predetermined time period, forexample, 2 seconds. The predetermined delay may, for example, by 5seconds, or some other value in the range 1-15 seconds (for example). Afurther possibility is that the predetermined delay is zero, so that thefading over the predetermined time period starts as soon as the lid 140is closed.

As an example, if the pack 100 is connected to the mains supply (withthe lid 140 already closed), the light is illuminated to indicate thecharge state of the e-cigarette 10 in tube 132A. If the pack 100 is nowdisconnected from the mains supply, this light signal is faded out afterthe predetermined delay.

Although not explicitly indicated in Table 1, if the pack is notconnected to an external power supply, the battery 151 of the pack 100may be too depleted to re-charge a partly depleted e-cigarette battery.In this case, the light may still be illuminated intermittently toindicate the partly charged status of the e-cigarette 10 (even thoughthere is no active re-charging in progress). However, if the e-cigaretteu10 is fully charged, this can be indicated by having the lightcontinuously on, subject to the fading specified in Table 1 according towhether the lid 140 is open or shut. Of course, if the battery 151 ofthe pack becomes fully depleted and there is no connection to anexternal power supply, then the light provided by PCB 135 willnecessarily be off (because there is nothing to power it). Such asituation, namely the depletion of the pack battery, will be apparent toa user because the pack indicator LEDs (within light cover 128) willlikewise be out (off) as well.

The above scheme of indications allows a user to rapidly determine thecurrent charging state—especially whether the e-cigarette is currentlybeing charged or is now fully charged. For example, if the pack 100 isdisconnected from the mains and the lid 140 is closed, the lightingelement 133 will be off. When a user opens the pack 100 to access ane-cigarette, the lighting element 133 will be illuminated for thepredetermined period of time to allow a user to discern the currentcharge state of an e-cigarette 10 in tube 132A.

FIG. 9 presents a flowchart showing various operations of the pack 100in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. These operationsmay be generally managed by a control facility on the main PCB 160 (suchas a microcontroller or processor). The starting point for theprocessing of FIG. 9 is assumed to be that the pack 100 is closed. It isnow detected that the lid 140 is opened (operation 900) by virtue of theswitch 152 and PCB 154 as described above. This detection causes thecontrol facility to initiate an active mode (operation 910) during whichvarious functionality associated with the active mode is performed(operation 920). Some of the functionality which is (or may be)associated with the active mode is described in more detail below. Theinitiation of the active mode at operation 910 also starts a timer, suchas may be provided on the main PCB 160. The system performs thefunctionality associated with the active mode until this timer expires(operation 930), which is assumed to occur after a time interval of N1.

The expiry of the timer causes the pack 100 to enter an inactive mode(operation 940). As part of this inactive mode, the functionalityassociated with the active mode is generally terminated or performed ata reduced level. This inactive mode is then maintained until the lid 140is closed (operation 950), which may be detected again by virtue of theswitch 152 and PCB 154 as described above. This causes the pack toperform some functionality associated with the lid closure (operation960) before returning to the beginning of the processing shown in FIG.9, namely waiting for the lid 140 to open.

The processing of FIG. 9 helps to conserve power in the battery 151 ofthe pack 100, in that the active mode terminates after a predeterminedtime, and the inactive mode is commenced. Although some of thefunctionality of the active mode may be continued into the inactive mode(potentially at a reduced level), the overall amount of functionalitywhich is performed in the inactive mode is lower than the functionalityperformed in the active mode. The power consumption in the inactive modeis therefore correspondingly lower than in the active mode.

The timer interval N1 representing the duration of the active mode maybe varied according to the particular circumstances. For example, if thebattery 151 of the pack 100 is fully charged (or mostly charged), thetimer interval N1 may be set to a greater value than when the packbattery 151 has a lower level of charging. In other words, having alower charge on the battery 151 will result in a shorter active periodN1, thereby helping to conserve the (relatively small) remaining amountof battery charge. Another possibility is that if the pack 100 isactively connected to an external power supply (mains/USB), then theactive mode may be maintained indefinitely, i.e. N1 is effectively setto infinity. This is because in such a situation there is no need toconserve charge on the battery 151 (because the active mode is beingpowered by the external power supply, and the battery 151 itself isbeing re-charged).

There are various pieces of functionality that may be performed as partof the active mode. For example, as described above (see Table 1), thelight 133 around opening 132 may be illuminated for a predeterminedperiod (say 10 seconds) after the lid opens to indicate a chargingstatus of an e-cigarette 10 located within opening 132. After thispredetermined period, which corresponds to the timer interval N1, thelight 133 is faded—i.e. this functionality, which is part of the activemode, is terminated.

Another piece of functionality that may be performed as part of theactive mode is the illumination of the indicator LEDs (within lightcover 128). Thus as noted above, these LEDs provide a user with anindication of the charging status of the battery 151 within the pack100. The LEDs are generally off when the pack lid 140 is closed but areilluminated, as part of the active mode functionality, when the lid isopened at operation 900. As shown in FIG. 2, the pack 100 is providedwith multiple LEDs, and the current level of charge of the battery 151may be indicated by illuminating a corresponding number (proportion) ofthese LEDs—e.g. having a greater charge in the battery 151 leads to anincreased number of LEDs being illuminated. However, after thepredetermined period N1 has expired, these LEDs are then faded out, aspart of the transition to an inactive mode, in order to conserve batterypower.

A further piece of functionality that may be performed as part of theactive mode is to detect the presence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A. Asnoted above, there are various ways in which such a detection can beperformed. For example, inserting an e-cigarette 10 will change theeffective inductance of the charging coil 170, by virtue of the mutualinductance arising from the corresponding induction charging coil in thee-cigarette 10, and this change in effective inductance can be detectedby the PCB 160 or other sensor. Alternatively, if the pack 100 uses awired connection for re-charging, then the resistance across and/orcurrent through the wired connection will change upon contact with ane-cigarette 10, similarly for any capacitance. A further possibility isto use some other sensing or communication mechanism, e.g. mechanical,electrical, or optical, to determine the presence or absence of ane-cigarette 10 in tube 132A.

This detection function (however implemented) may be operational inactive mode, but may be discontinued in inactive mode. In other words,if there is no e-cigarette 10 in tube 132A when the lid 140 is open,then the functionality to detect the insert of an e-cigarette into tube132 may be active for a period of time N1. After this time interval N1has expired, the detection functionality may be switched off (becomeinactive). Accordingly, if an e-cigarette is inserted into tube 132Aafter the time interval N1, this may not be detected by the controlfacility. Consequently, the control facility may not start charging thee-cigarette 10 from the battery pack 151 and/or may not illuminate thelight 133 to indicate the charging status of the e-cigarette (asdescribed above).

In some cases the detection functionality may be operational in theinactive mode, but in a reduced manner. For example, during active modethe detection functionality may make a repeated check to determine thepresence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A, for example at a time intervalN2 (where N2 is typically >>N1). On the other hand, during inactive modethe detection functionality may make a repeated check to determine thepresence of an e-cigarette in tube 132A at a time interval N3 (whereN3>N2).

The processing may be somewhat different if an e-cigarette is initiallypresent in the tube 132A when the pack 100 is opened, in which case thedetection functionality aims to determine when the e-cigarette has beenremoved from tube 132A. If the e-cigarette is being charged from thebattery pack 151 while it is in tube 132A, it may be desirable for thedetection functionality to remain operational during this period, so itcan switch off the charging facility upon removal of the e-cigarette 10.Accordingly, the pack 100 may remain in active mode while the chargingis still in progress or alternatively the detection functionality maycontinue to be operational when the pack 100 goes into inactive mode(when the e-cigarette 10 is initially present at operation 900). It willbe appreciated that in any case, the amount of power taken to remain inactive mode or to maintain the detection facility in operation willnormally be lower than the power taken to recharge an e-cigarette 10 intube 132A.

If the pack 100 does not contain an e-cigarette on lid opening (atoperation 900), and then goes into inactive mode without an e-cigarette10 being inserted, then an insertion occurring after the expiry of theinterval N1 may be detected at operation 960, as part of thefunctionality performed on lid closure. This is an appropriate timingfor performing such a detection, since the pack closure represents apositive (and perhaps conclusory) action by the user, which may belinked to some other action (such as inserting an e-cigarette 10 intothe pack). In addition, it will be appreciated that an e-cigarettecannot be inserted into the pack 100 once the lid 140 has been closed,so that trying to detect an inserted e-cigarette 10 at this stagerepresents a final, one-off check. If an e-cigarette 10 is detected atthis stage (as part of the functionality of operation 960), then thismay trigger one or more additional actions of the control facility, forexample, initiating charging of the e-cigarette 10 from the pack battery151 if appropriate. On the other hand, if it is confirmed that noe-cigarette is present at this stage, then tube 132A will remain emptyat least until the lid is opened, which returns to operation 900 (andthe subsequent processing as described above).

FIG. 9 shows the lid being closed (operation 950) after the timeinterval N1 has elapsed (at operation 930) since the lid 140 was opened(operation 900)—thereby including the transition from active mode toinactive mode. However, a user may of course sometimes close the lidbefore the expiry of the time interval N1. In these circumstances thepack 100 does not transition from active mode to inactive mode, butrather would go straight, in effect, from operation 920 to operation 950in FIG. 9. In this case, some or all of the lid closure functionality ofoperation 960 may be unnecessary, because there was no time spent in theinactive mode to cover for. On the other hand, the lid closurefunctionality of operation 960 may still be performed, even ifpotentially redundant, by way of a safeguard or double-check (such as towhether the pack now contains an e-cigarette).

Although in the particular example of Table 1 above, N1 equals 10seconds, it will be appreciated that there are many other possibilities.For example, N1 may lie in the range of 2 second to 2 minutes, or therange of 4 seconds to 1 minute, or of 5 to 30 seconds, or of 5 to 20seconds, or of 8 to 15 seconds. In addition, in some implementations thevalue of N1 may vary according to the particular piece of functionality.Thus one piece of functionality may be active for a first value of N1(say N1 a), while another piece of functionality may be active for asecond, different value of N1 (say N1 b, where N1 b does not equal N1a). In this case the transition from active mode to inactive mode isstaggered for the different pieces of functionality. This may be helpfulif some of the functionality in active mode consumes more power and/oris less important than other functionality (whereby it may be desirableto retain the latter functionality in an active state for longer thanthe former functionality). Also, the transition from active mode toinactive mode does not have to be sharp, but may be gradual—for example,as per the gradual fading of light 133 after the lid 140 has been openfor 10 seconds, as described above.

As described herein, a pack is provided for holding and re-charging ane-cigarette. Such an e-cigarette may comprise an electronic vaporprovision system (the vapor may or may not be nicotine), an electronicnicotine delivery system, etc. The pack includes a pack battery and abody portion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette. The packfurther includes a re-charging mechanism for re-charging the e-cigarettereceived into the tube using the pack battery (which is typicallysignificantly larger than any battery included in the e-cigarette). There-charging mechanism may utilize a wired or wireless connection to thee-cigarette. The pack further includes a lid attached to the bodyportion. The lid can be opened to allow the e-cigarette to be receivedinto the tube, and closed to retain the e-cigarette in the tube. Thepack is configured to transition from a higher power state to a lowerpower state a predetermined period of time after the lid is opened (andwhile the lid is still open). The lower power state draws less powerfrom the pack battery than the higher power state, and thereby helps toconserve charge in the pack battery.

On the other hand, in some cases, if the pack is connected to anexternal power source (such as a USB connector or the mains), thetransition from a higher power state to a lower power state may notoccur. This is because it is generally not necessary to conserve batterypower in such circumstances (since the pack battery itself is beingrecharged).

The pack may include a switch (electrical or mechanical) which isactivated by the lid opening and closing. The predetermined period oftime commences when the switch is activated by the lid opening and thetransition to a lower power state occurs after the predetermined timeperiod has expired, assuming that the lid remains open.

The pack may include lights for indicating the charge status of the packbattery and/or the e-cigarette. These lights may be illuminated when thelid is opened, but are then switched off after the predetermined periodas part of the transition from a higher power state to a lower powerstate to conserve power.

The pack may include a detection mechanism which detects whether ane-cigarette is located in the tube. The detection mechanism may operatewhen the lid is opened, and then stop operating as part of thetransition from a higher power state to a lower power state if ane-cigarette has not been inserted into the tube during the predeterminedtime period. In other words, if an e-cigarette is inserted into thetube, this will be detected by the pack if the predetermined time periodhas not yet expired and the pack may then start re-charging thee-cigarette (if a second trigger is also activated, see below). However,the insertion of the e-cigarette will not be detected by the pack if thepredetermined time period has now expired, and hence no re-charging willbe performed (at least while the lid remains open, or absent some othertrigger, see below).

In some embodiments, the mechanism for detecting whether an e-cigarettehas been inserted into the tube may be re-activated when the lid isclosed. This will generally be a short (temporary) re-activation to makea final check on whether an e-cigarette is located in the tube in thepack. If such a detection is positive, the pack may initiate somefurther processing, such as beginning to re-charge the e-cigarette fromthe pack battery. On the other hand, some other functionality might notbe utilized—e.g. lights to indicate a charging status of the e-cigarettemight not now be illuminated, since the closed lid of the pack mayindicate that the pack is being put away, e.g. into a bag.

Using a detection of the closure of the lid to trigger or activate adetection of whether an e-cigarette 10 is located in tube 132A can beconsidered as a dual activation mechanism, in that re-charging of thee-cigarette 10 is triggered by two input mechanisms, namely (i)insertion of an e-cigarette, and (ii) closing the lid. There are variousreasons why such a dual activation mechanism may be beneficial. Forexample, the mechanism for detecting the insertion of an e-cigarette mayrequire some power from the pack battery 151. However, if there isanother activation mechanism, such as the mechanical switch 152 fordetecting closure of the lid, then this can be used to trigger themechanism for detecting the insertion of the e-cigarette. This helps toconserve power within the pack 100.

In addition, the mechanism for detecting the insertion of an e-cigarettemay possibly trigger on the accidental insertion of some other object (aforeign body) into tube 132A. Such a foreign body may be sufficient totrigger a detection of a (supposed) e-cigarette in tube 132A. Forexample, if the detection is based upon the occlusion or reflection of alight beam passing across a diameter of tube 132A, then the foreign bodymay provide such occlusion or reflection; similarly, if the pack 132Aimplements a wired connection to e-cigarette 10 and the detection isbased upon a change in resistance or capacitance between wiredconnectors at the base of tube 132A, this might again be triggered bythe foreign body. It will be appreciated that providing a rechargingcurrent to this foreign body might potentially result in overheating andconsequential damage to the pack 100. However, this risk can be reducedif a second activation mechanism is required to trigger the re-chargingcurrent, since the re-charging then does not occur immediately theforeign body enters the tube, but rather only when the user triggers thesecond activation mechanism. This therefore provides the user with anadditional opportunity to remove the foreign body from tube 132A beforethe pack 100 begins re-charging.

A further reason for having an additional activation mechanism is if theuser wants to use the pack to store the e-cigarette, but does not wantto re-charge e-cigarette. Such a situation may arise, for example, ifthe user does not intend to use the e-cigarette in the near future.

In general, for a pack having a dual activation mechanism forre-charging, one of the activation mechanisms is based on the insertionof an e-cigarette into the tube 132A (since no re-charging is possibleif the e-cigarette 10 is not in the tube 132A). A variety of mechanismscan provide the second activation mechanism. For example, onepossibility is that the second activation mechanism is based on closinglid 140, which is detected and indicated by switch 152, as discussedabove. Another possibility is to use connection of the pack 100 to anexternal power source as the second activation mechanism. A furtherpossibility is to provide a specific re-charging switch on the exteriorof pack 100, whereby a user presses or otherwise operates this switch toprovide the second activation mechanism. The switch could take anyappropriate form, such as a mechanical switch which is moved between twopositions (in/out or up/down, for example), some form of rotary switch,a touch sensitive switch, and so on.

The details of the activation may vary from one switch to another. Forexample, the activation might be a touch-sensitive pad, and theactivation trigger is only present as long as the user contacts thetouch-sensitive pad. Such a configuration might also be implemented by aswitch that has a rest (off) position, where a user can push (or slide,or rotate etc) the switch to an activation position, but the switch isresiliently biased to return to the off/rest position once released bythe user. This type of switch (or other activation mechanism) isreferred to herein as a monostable trigger, since the default (rest)state of no activation will apply unless the user is currentlyactivating the trigger mechanism. Note that having an electricalconnection from the pack to an external power source can also beregarded as such a monostable trigger—i.e. the pack remains in the stateof activation for as long as the electrical connection is present andsupplying power.

In some cases, a monostable switch may remain in the activated state fora predetermined period of time, which is typically measured either fromthe initial activation, or from when the specific user action hasterminated. For example, pressing a touch-pad may cause the trigger toremain activated for a predetermined period of say 10 seconds,irrespective of the duration of the user contact. After thepredetermined period has expired, the activation ceases.

Another type of switch (or other form of trigger) is referred to hereinas a toggle or bistable trigger. In this type of trigger, the userperforms a first action to place the device in the activated state, andthe device remains in the activated state (without requiring furtheraction by the user) until a second action is performed. Note that thesecond action may be regarded as the inverse of the first action. Anexample of a toggle trigger is a switch with two (stable) positions, onecorresponding to off (not activated), and one corresponding to on(activated). The user then moves the switch to the activated or notactivated position as desired. Another example of a toggle trigger wouldbe a touch-pad, whereby a first touch places the device into anactivated state. The device then remains in the activated state(irrespective of the duration of the touch) until there is a separatesecond touch to remove the device from the activated state.

Further examples of toggle triggers would be the insertion and thenremoval of an e-cigarette into/from tube 132A, or closing and openinglid 140, in both cases to activate and then de-activate respectively.Alternatively, insertion of an e-cigarette into tube 132A and closingthe lid 140 might both be monostable triggers, in which the triggerremains active for a predetermined period (e.g. several seconds) afterthe initial trigger action.

The ability to have different types of trigger allows variouspossibilities in the overall configuration of the dual activationmechanism. For example, if the first trigger is insertion of thee-cigarette into tube 132A, this may represent a toggle activation toleave the first trigger in the activated state. A user might then beexpected to perform a second (monostable) trigger subsequent to thisfirst trigger to complete the dual activation, and hence startcharging—for example, by closing the pack lid or by pressing a button.This dual activation sequence might be helpful in that if a useraccidentally drops a foreign body into tube 132A, then the re-chargingdoes not start unless some further positive action (the second trigger)is performed.

Note that in some cases, there may be a delay between the user triggeraction, such as inserting an e-cigarette into tube 132A, and the systemdetecting that such an action has been performed—e.g. if the detectionis involves some regular polling action which is only performed atpredetermined intervals. In this case, the user action to insert thee-cigarette can be regarded as the trigger activation, although theactivation would not become effective until the insertion has beendetected by the device.

It is also possible for detection of the first trigger action to beactivated or initiated by the second trigger action (or vice versa).Thus in the example mentioned above, where the first trigger isinsertion of the e-cigarette into tube 132A, and the second (monostable)trigger is closing the pack lid or pressing a button, the second triggermay cause the device to check for (detect) the presence of the insertedcigarette (if this has not already been detected). This approach mayhelp to reduce power if detecting the insertion of an e-cigarette itselfconsumes battery power, since the detection does not have to beperformed unless the second trigger is activated.

This arrangement of having the lid closure (or second other activationmechanism) initiate a detection of the presence (or absence) of ane-cigarette in the pack (which represents the first trigger mechanism)is also beneficial in that the state of activation of the first triggermechanism is then detected with the most appropriate timing. Forexample, consider a pack which is initially closed, and then the packlid is opened and subsequently closed. While the pack lid is opened, thedevice does not have to detect whether an e-cigarette has been insertedinto tube 132A, or conversely, whether a previously present e-cigarettehas now been removed from tube 132A—rather such detection may bedeferred until the second trigger (lid closure) is activated.

The implementation of the dual activation mechanism may be dependent theprimary concern that is being addressed. For example, if a primaryconcern is to conserve power in relation to the mechanism for detectinginsertion of an e-cigarette, then this does not apply if the pack iscurrently connected to an external power source. Accordingly, when thepack is connected to such an external power source, then re-charging maybe initiated directly upon detection that an e-cigarette has beeninserted into the pack 100, since the external power source can providethe power to detect whether an e-cigarette has been inserted into thepack 100. In these circumstances, the connection to the external powersource can be regarded as the second trigger, which is active for aslong as this electrical connection is present. However, if the primaryconcern is to avoid accidental charging of foreign objects in the pack,the it may be decided that connection to an external power source shouldnot represent an activation mechanism.

Note that even if having an external power source does represent anactivation mechanism, this does not imply that such an external powersource is always necessary to trigger re-charging of the e-cigarette.For example, if the pack is not connected to an external power source,then a second (different) trigger, such as operation of a switch, may beaccepted by the dual activation mechanism to begin re-charging.Accordingly, the dual activation mechanism may potentially supportmultiple (more than two) triggers, and activate in response topredetermined combinations of two triggers being received—e.g. if ane-cigarette is present and an external power connection is provided, orif an e-cigarette is present, and a switch is pressed. However, the dualactivation mechanism may be configured such that having external powerand a switch being pressed cannot be used (in combination with oneanother) as the first and second triggers for the dual activationmechanism.

Note that there may also be other conditions on the supply of power fromthe pack to the e-cigarette for re-charging. For example, this supply ofpower from the pack to the e-cigarette may require the pack batteryitself to have more than a certain level of charge, or require thetemperature of the pack battery to be within acceptable limits. However,these conditions are not considered an activation mechanism per se,since an activation mechanism can be triggered directly by some useraction (such as moving a switch), whereas there is no such directtriggering associated with these conditions.

The approach described herein provides a pack for holding andre-charging an e-cigarette. The pack comprises a pack battery; a bodyportion including a tube for receiving an e-cigarette; a re-chargingmechanism for re-charging the e-cigarette received into said tube usingthe pack battery; and a dual activation mechanism. The e-cigarette canbe re-charged in the tube without disassembly of the e-cigarette,thereby increasing convenience for a user. The dual activation mechanismcomprises two separate triggers for causing the re-charging mechanism tobegin re-charging the e-cigarette received into the tube using the packbattery. The re-charging begins only in response to the directactivation by a user of both of these two separate triggers.

There are various potential benefits to having the dual activationmechanism. For example, it may provide protection against the situationthat a foreign body is accidentally inserted or dropped into the tubefor re-charging. This can be particularly helpful for a pack where thee-cigarette in the tube will form a connection based on gravity (withoutfurther engagement of an electrical connection). It may also help toconserve the charge lifetime within the pack battery.

The direct activation by a user represents a specific action taken bythe user which then acts as a trigger for the re-charging mechanism. Oneexample of such a direct activation is for a user to insert ane-cigarette into the tube. This trigger is likely to be used in mostimplementations, given that an e-cigarette must be inserted into thetube in order for there to be an e-cigarette for the pack to recharge.The insertion of an e-cigarette into the tube (or the presence of ane-cigarette in the tube) may be determined by various mechanisms, forexample, based on mechanical, optical and/or electrical detection.

There are a number of possible implementations for the second trigger.For example, in some implementations, the pack further comprises a lid,which when open allows access to the tube for receiving or removing ane-cigarette, and when closed holds the e-cigarette in the pack. Thesecond trigger may comprise closing the lid. In order to support thistrigger, the pack may be provided with a switch which is mechanicallyactivated by closing the lid, so that the switch in effect provides thetrigger.

Another possible implementation of the second trigger is as auser-activated switch on the exterior of the pack. This switch can beformed in any suitable manner. For example, the switch may be amechanical unit which a user pushes, slides, rotates, or twists (etc)between an off and on position (whereby the on position provides thesecond trigger). Another possibility is that the switch is implementedas a touch-sensitive surface, so that touching the surface provides thesecond trigger.

In some cases, the second trigger might only be activated after thefirst one of the two separate triggers has detected that the e-cigarettehas been received into said tube. This corresponds to a natural sequencefor a user of first inserting the e-cigarette into the tube, and thenstarting (activating) re-charging by pushing a switch (for example).However, other implementations may use a different approach. Forexample, the second trigger might be opening (rather than closing) thelid 140, and this will naturally be performed prior to inserting thee-cigarette into the tube 132A. However, this ordering may provide lessprotection in the situation where a foreign body is accidentally droppedinto the tube instead of the e-cigarette 10.

In some implementations, the re-charging of the e-cigarette is performedby induction re-charging of the e-cigarette. This re-charging mechanismavoids the need for any wired connection between the pack 100 and thee-cigarette 10. At one level, this simplifies the procedure for a userto initiate re-charging, but also potentially increases the riskassociated with a foreign body being introduced into tube 132A. However,this risk may be mitigated, at least to some extent, by providing thedual activation mechanism described herein.

In some other implementations, the pack includes a wired connector atthe base of the tube. The first one of the two separate triggers detectswhen the wired connector makes electrical contact with a correspondingconnector at one end of the e-cigarette received into the tube. Thiswired connection may be formed, at least in some implementations, usingonly gravity and the weight of the e-cigarette (in otherimplementations, this gravitational force may be supplemented bydownward pressure on the e-cigarette from a closed lid). Again, such anarrangement simplifies the procedure for a user to initiate re-charging,since the user only has to insert the e-cigarette into the tube, butdoes not have to further manipulate the e-cigarette to form anelectrical connection, such as by screwing the connector on the packtogether with the connector on the e-cigarette. This arrangement istherefore very convenient for a user, although it does potentiallyincrease the risk associated with a foreign body being introduced intotube 132A. However, this risk may be mitigated, at least to some extent,by providing the dual activation mechanism described herein.

The pack may be provided with one or more lights 133 for indicatingwhether the re-charging of the e-cigarette has been activated. Suchlights, and/or some other indication mechanism (e.g. sound), provideuseful feedback to the user that the charging is indeed occurring,thereby confirming to the user that the appropriate actions have beencompleted to trigger the dual activation mechanism. For example, asnoted in Table 1 above, the light 133 may be off when re-charging is notbeing performed, pulsed when re-charging is active, and then on (withoutpulsing) to indicate that the pack batter is now fully charged. (Thelighting indication may only be provided for a limited period of time inorder to conserve battery power if the pack is not connected to anexternal power source).

In conclusion, this disclosure shows by way of illustration variousembodiments in which that which is claimed may be practiced. Theadvantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sampleof embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They arepresented only to assist in understanding and to teach that which isclaimed. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples,functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosureare not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by theclaims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that otherembodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the claims. Various embodiments may suitablycomprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations ofthe disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etcother than those specifically described herein. The disclosure mayinclude other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimedin future.

1. A pack for holding and re-charging an e-cigarette, the packcomprising: a pack battery; an opening for receiving an e-cigaretteinserted by a user into the pack; a re-charging mechanism forre-charging the e-cigarette received into the pack using the packbattery; and a user-activated switch or button on an exterior of thepack for causing the re-charging mechanism to begin re-charging thee-cigarette which has been inserted into the pack using the packbattery.
 2. The pack of claim 1, wherein the re-charging of thee-cigarette is performed by induction re-charging of the e-cigarette. 3.The pack of claim 1, further comprising a wired connector for makingelectrical contact with a corresponding connector at one end of thee-cigarette received into the opening.
 4. The pack of claim 3, furthercomprising a tube which has the opening at one end for inserting thee-cigarette for re-charging and a base end including electrical contactsfor re-charging the e-cigarette within the tube.
 5. The pack of claim 4,wherein the electrical contacts are configured to re-charge thee-cigarette via a tip end of the e-cigarette.
 6. The pack of claim 5,wherein the pack further comprises a lid, wherein the lid when closed isconfigured to exert a pressure on the e-cigarette in a direction towardsthe base end of the tube, thereby helping to provide a more reliableelectrical contact between the tip end of the e-cigarette and theelectrical contacts at the base end of the tube.
 7. The pack of claim 1,wherein the pack when open allows access for receiving or removing thee-cigarette, and when closed holds the e-cigarette in the pack.
 8. Thepack of claim 1, wherein the pack further comprises a lid and a switch,wherein the switch is mechanically activated by closing the lid.
 9. Thepack of claim 1, wherein the pack further comprises a light to indicatea charging status of the e-cigarette, the light being pulsed to indicatethe e-cigarette is being recharged.
 10. The pack of claim 1, wherein thepack further comprises multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to providea user with an indication of a charging status of the pack battery,whereby having a greater charge in the pack battery leads to anincreased number of the LEDs being illuminated.
 11. The pack of claim 1,wherein the pack supports a wireless communications link.
 12. The packof claim 11, wherein the pack is configured to communicate with ane-cigarette over the wireless communications link.
 13. A systemcomprising the pack of claim 1 and an e-cigarette inserted into thepack.
 14. A method for operating a pack for holding and re-charging ane-cigarette, the pack comprising a pack battery, the method comprising:receiving an e-cigarette inserted by a user into the pack; andre-charging the e-cigarette received into the pack using the packbattery; wherein a user activates a switch or button on an exterior ofthe pack to begin re-charging the e-cigarette which has been insertedinto the pack using the pack battery.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising detecting that the e-cigarette has been inserted by auser into the pack prior to starting the re-charging of the e-cigarette.